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People and family in Slovenian

195 words in Slovenian on the topic “people and family”: prijatelj — friend, družina — family, mama — mom, oče — dad. 195 words can be played from recordings.

Updated September 1, 2026 · Lingofly

195 words on the topic

  • prijatelj
    friend
    A close friend — the word is saved for the real thing, not for casual acquaintances.
  • družina
    family
    ž is the "zh" of "measure": droo-ZHEE-nah
  • mama
    mom
    What you call her to her face is mama. The official word, documents included, is mati.
  • oče
    dad
    č is "ch": OH-cheh
  • otrok
    child
    Two children take the dual: dva otroka.
  • prodajalec
    seller
    j is "y", c is "ts": pro-dah-YAH-lets
  • kupec
    buyer
    c is "ts": KOO-pets
  • sosed
    neighbor
    final d devoices: SOH-set
  • človek
    person
    č is "ch"; the second e is nearly swallowed
  • moški
    man
    š is "sh", stress the first syllable: MOSH-kee
  • ženska
    woman
    ž is the "zh" of "measure": ZHEN-skah
  • mladenič
    young man
    č is "ch", stress the e: mlah-DEH-neech
  • dekle
    girl
    Neuter gender even though it names a girl: to dekle je prijazno. The plural is dekleta.
  • starec
    old man
    c is "ts": STAH-rets
  • neznanec
    stranger
    ne- plus znanec, "acquaintance", from znati, "to know". A stranger woman is neznanka.
  • množica
    crowd
    ž is the "zh" of "measure", c is "ts", stress the first syllable: MNOH-zhi-tsah
  • sin
    son
    long vowel; the s does not soften: seen
  • tujec
    foreigner
    c is "ts"
  • receptor
    receptionist
    c is "ts"
  • ribič
    fisherman
    č is "ch": REE-beech
  • lasje
    hair
    j is "y"
  • visok
    tall
    h sounds
  • nizek
    low
    ž is the "zh" of "measure"
  • mlad
    young
    final d devoices
  • brada
    beard
    A double meaning: beard and chin. boli me brada is usually about the chin.
  • brki
    mustache
    r is syllabic
  • suh
    thin (person)
    h sounds
  • debel
    fat
    final l sounds like "u"
  • čeden
    good-looking
    č is "ch"
  • videz
    appearance
    final z devoices
  • prijazen
    kind
    j is "y"
  • vesel
    cheerful
    final l sounds like "u"
  • pameten
    smart
    From pamet, "mind". Remembering is a different verb: zapomniti si.
  • hudoben
    mean
    From hud, "fierce, bad". hudo on its own means "badly" and "badly hurt": hudo me boli.
  • miren
    calm
    From mir. Feminine mirna — the vowel drops. bodi miren — "sit still".
  • vljuden
    polite
    v before lj sounds like "u"
  • len
    lazy
    Shorter than its English cousin. Laziness is lenoba, the lazybones lenuh.
  • pogumen
    brave
    From pogum, "courage". To hearten someone is opogumiti — the verb lives more in speech than the adjective.
  • pošten
    honest
    š is "sh"
  • značaj
    character (temperament)
    ž is the "zh" of "measure", č is "ch", j is "y"
  • natakar
    waiter
    From natakati, "to pour". A waitress is natakarica. Call him with Oprostite! — not by shouting.
  • igrača
    toy
    č is "ch"
  • nevesta
    bride
    after the wedding she becomes žena, a wife
  • ženin
    groom
    ž = zh as in vision: ZHEH-neen
  • poročiti se
    get married
    č = ch in church: po-ro-CHEE-tee seh
  • ločitev
    divorce
    č = ch; final v fades toward w: lo-CHEE-tehw
  • starši
    parents
    š = sh: STAR-shee
  • brat
    brother
    the plural is irregular, bratje, and two brothers take the dual: brata
  • sestra
    sister
    careful: medicinska sestra is a nurse — without the adjective the word means family
  • babica
    grandmother
    c = ts: BAH-bee-tsah
  • dedek
    grandfather
    the partner of babica; the Slovenian Santa is dedek Mraz, and he comes on December 31
  • stric
    uncle
    c = ts: STEETS
  • teta
    aunt
    children also call any grown woman teta — the kindergarten teacher included; no dismissive shade at all
  • vnuk
    grandson
    v before n is a w-glide: OOV-nook
  • sorodnik
    relative
    from rod, kin, with the prefix so-, co-; the whole clan is sorodstvo, and rodbina sounds ceremonial
  • bratranec
    male cousin
    c = ts: brah-TRAH-nets
  • otroci
    children
    c = ts: aw-TROH-tsee
  • fant
    boy
    a German loan; a trap: moj fant means my boyfriend, not my boy; the bookish deček survives in print
  • punca
    girl (colloquial)
    c = ts: POON-tsah
  • hčerka
    daughter
    hč runs together almost as one sound: HCHER-kah
  • koliko si star?
    How old are you?
    literally how much are you old; to a woman: koliko si stara?, politely: koliko ste stari?
  • odrasla oseba
    adult
    literally a grown person: odrasel is itself an adjective; tickets say odrasli for grown-ups
  • najstnik
    teenager
    coined from -najst, the ending of the numbers eleven to nineteen — exactly like English teen
  • dojenček
    infant
    č = ch: doh-YEN-chek
  • starost
    age
    a false friend for old age — in Slovenian it is age of any kind, even a toddler one; forms ask for ime in starost
  • star sem trideset let
    I am thirty years old
    literally I am old thirty years; a woman says stara sem; age goes through biti star, not a "to me" phrase
  • kodrast
    curly
    from koder, a curl; curls are kodri, to curl hair is nakodrati; straight hair is ravni lasje
  • plešast
    bald
    š = sh: PLEH-shahst, stress on the first syllable
  • sivolas
    grey-haired
    Stress on the last syllable: see-voh-LAHS
  • telesna višina
    height (of a person)
    Š is "sh" as in "ship": teh-LEHS-nah-vee-SHEE-nah
  • vitek
    slim
    Stress on the first syllable: VEE-tehk; in the feminine the e drops out: vitka
  • srednje visok
    of medium height
    the way a lost-person notice describes someone: srednje visok, temnolas; the same recipe builds srednje velik, medium-sized
  • radodaren
    generous
    built from rad, gladly, and dar, a gift — literally a glad giver; generosity is radodarnost
  • potrpežljiv
    patient (tolerant)
    Ž is "zh" as in "vision", the opening r stands without a vowel and holds the syllable: poh-tuhr-pehzh-LYEEV
  • delaven
    hard-working
    Stress on the first syllable: DEH-lah-vehn; in the feminine the e drops out: delavna
  • zanesljiv
    reliable
    from zanesti se na koga, to lean on someone; said of a person and of a thing alike: zanesljiv avto
  • skromen
    modest
    said of people and things alike: skromno kosilo, a modest lunch, skromna plača, a modest salary
  • družaben
    sociable
    Ž is "zh" as in "vision": droo-ZHAH-behn
  • skrben
    caring
    from skrb — a word that is both care and worry at once: skrbi me, I am worried; to look after someone is skrbeti za
  • resen
    serious
    about a person and a matter alike: resna bolezen, resen pogovor; the adverb is resno, and the short question Resno? means seriously?
  • vzgojen
    well-mannered
    almost always with an adverb: dobro vzgojen, lepo vzgojen; from vzgoja, upbringing; the opposite is nevzgojen
  • smisel za humor
    sense of humour
    Slovenian says smisel, sense, where English says feeling; built the same way: smisel za red, a love of order
  • skop
    stingy
    tight with money and with words alike: skop z besedami, a man of few words; the harsher pohlepen means grasping, hungry for everything
  • trmast
    stubborn
    No vowel in front — the r holds the syllable by itself: TUHRM-ahst
  • grob
    rude
    a full homonym of grob, a grave — the role in the sentence decides; to answer rudely is grobo odgovoriti; merely impolite is nevljuden
  • predrzen
    brazen
    from drzen, bold; the prefix pre- pushes the boldness past the line; the noun is predrznost
  • zvit
    sly
    literally twisted, from zviti; of a thing it means wound up, of a person cunning; the softer, almost admiring neighbour is prebrisan
  • klepetav
    chatty
    from klepetati, to chat; a klepet is an easy conversation, and the word is not an insult at all
  • raztresen
    absent-minded
    literally scattered about, from raztresti; the English absent-minded is built on the same image, so it sticks at once
  • vzkipljiv
    hot-tempered
    Four consonants in a row at the start — no extra vowel in between: vzkeep-LYEEV
  • ravnodušen
    indifferent
    Š is "sh" as in "ship": rahv-noh-DOO-shehn
  • navada
    habit
    Stress on the second syllable: nah-VAH-dah
  • prijateljica
    female friend
    the feminine of prijatelj — precisely a friend, not a girlfriend in a couple: that would be punca or dekle
  • znanec
    acquaintance
    C is "ts" as in "cats": ZNAH-nehts
  • talent
    talent
    talented is talentiran, or the native nadarjen, from dar, a gift; the second sounds warmer and comes up about children more
  • roditi se
    be born
    Keep se for "be born": rodil sem se, "I was born" said by a man; rodila se je, "she was born". Without se, roditi means "to give birth". rojstni list is a birth certificate.
  • otroštvo
    childhood
    Št sounds like "sht": oht-ROHSH-tvoh
  • mladost
    youth
    from mlad, young; Slovenian has no separate word for young adulthood beside youth — both are mladost; the young as a group are mladina
  • odraslo življenje
    adult life
    Ž is "zh" as in "vision", lj is a soft "ly", as in "million": ohd-RAHS-loh-zheev-LYEH-nyeh
  • generacija
    generation
    C is "ts" as in "cats": geh-neh-RAH-tsee-yah
  • rodno mesto
    home town
    the adjective roden applies only to places and countries: rodno mesto, rodna dežela; about language one says materni jezik, about people domači
  • pet let živeti v državi
    live in the country for five years
    Ž is "zh" as in "vision", the r of državi stands without a vowel: peht-leht-zhee-VEH-tee-v-duhrzh-AH-vee
  • spomin
    memory
    one Slovenian word for a memory, memory and a monument: lep spomin, dober spomin, spomin padlim; the souvenir split off by suffix — spominek
  • stara fotografija
    old photograph
    Stress on the "i": stah-rah-foh-tohg-rah-FEE-yah
  • usoda
    fate
    Stress on the "o": oo-SOH-dah
  • začeti novo življenje
    start a new life
    Č is "ch" as in "church", ž is "zh" as in "vision": zah-CHEH-tee-NOH-voh-zheev-LYEH-nyeh
  • ustvariti družino
    start a family
    Ž is "zh" as in "vision": oos-TVAH-ree-tee-droo-ZHEE-noh
  • bogat
    rich
    about a person and about content alike: bogat z vitamini, rich in vitamins; wealth is bogastvo, to get rich obogateti
  • reven
    poor
    poor in money; ubog means rather a poor soul, with pity, and slab is bad and weak
  • sostanovalec
    roommate
    C is "ts" as in "cats": sohs-tah-noh-VAH-lehts
  • prijatelj iz otroštva
    childhood friend
    Š is "sh" as in "ship", lj is a soft "ly", as in "million": pree-YAH-tehly-eez-oht-ROHSH-tvah
  • daljni sorodnik
    distant relative
    Lj is a soft "ly", as in "million": DAHLY-nee-soh-ROHD-neek
  • vzgajati otroke
    raise children
    vzgoja upbringing, vzgojitelj an educator; Slovenian splits upbringing from schooling more strictly than English: to teach at school is izobraževati
  • znan
    well-known
    careful: znan means known and familiar — znan obraz is a familiar face; famous is slaven, a celebrity zvezdnik
  • močan
    strong
    Č is "ch" as in "church": MOH-chahn
  • zaroka
    engagement
    Stress on the "ro": zah-ROH-kah
  • poročni prstan
    wedding ring
    Č is "ch" as in "church", the r between consonants carries the syllable itself: poh-ROHCH-nee-PUHRST-ahn
  • poročna obleka
    wedding dress
    Č is "ch" as in "church": poh-ROHCH-nah-ohb-LEH-kah
  • mladoporočenca
    newlyweds
    Č is "ch" as in "church": mlah-doh-poh-roh-CHEHN-tsah
  • medeni tedni
    honeymoon
    Stress the second syllable of medeni and the first of tedni: meh-DEH-nee-TEHD-nee
  • zabava ob vselitvi
    housewarming (party)
    there is no single word: people say zabava ob vselitvi or just zabava v novem stanovanju; vseliti se is to move in
  • žalovanje
    mourning
    Ž is "zh" as in "vision": zhah-loh-VAH-nyeh
  • razumen
    sensible
    Stress on the "zu": rah-ZOO-mehn
  • dobrota
    kindness
    from dober, good and kind; in the plural dobrote means quite another thing: the goodies, the treats on the table
  • samoobvladovanje
    self-control
    literally a self-governing: sam plus obvladovati; the endurance of the body is vzdržljivost — here it is about the nerves
  • potrpljenje
    patience
    from potrpeti, to endure; Imej potrpljenje!, have patience; the adjective potrpežljiv means patient
  • sebičnost
    selfishness
    Č is "ch" as in "church": seh-BEECH-nohst
  • lenoba
    laziness
    from len, lazy; the same word scolds an idler: ti lenoba!; the zoo sloth is also a lenivec
  • trma
    obstinacy
    No vowel between t and r — the r holds the syllable: tuhrm-ah
  • radovednost
    curiosity
    literally the wish to know: rad plus vedeti; radoveden curious — and the word is not judging: inquisitiveness and curiosity are one here
  • poštenost
    decency
    Š is "sh" as in "ship": pohsh-TEH-nohst
  • iznajdljivost
    resourcefulness
    from iznajti se, to find a way out; iznajdljiv človek, a resourceful one, a person who se znajde in any situation
  • brezskrbnost
    carefree nature
    literally care-less-ness: brez plus skrb; the word is warm rather than judging: brezskrbno otroštvo, a carefree childhood; carelessness as negligence is malomarnost
  • odločen
    decisive
    Č is "ch" as in "church": ohd-LOH-chehn
  • sramežljiv
    bashful
    Ž is "zh" as in "vision": srah-mehzh-LYEEV
  • zamerljiv
    touchy (easily offended)
    from zameriti, to take offence, to hold against; Ne bodi zamerljiv, do not be touchy; the offence as a feeling is zamera
  • prilagodljiv
    accommodating
    from prilagoditi se, to adapt; about a person it means easy-going, pliant, about a schedule flexible: prilagodljiv delovni čas
  • pikolovski
    pedantic
    from pikolovec, a nitpicker — who comes from pika, a dot: someone who catches dots; the shade is mocking; neutrally say natančen, precise
  • samovšečen
    vain (self-loving)
    Š is "sh" as in "ship", č is "ch" as in "church": sah-mohv-SHEH-chehn
  • ustrežljiv
    obliging
    Ž is "zh" as in "vision": oos-trehzh-LYEEV
  • zaprt vase
    withdrawn
    literally closed into oneself: zaprt vase; the one-word version is introvertiran, but the phrase sounds livelier
  • neposreden
    blunt (direct)
    literally un-mediated, without a go-between: one who speaks straight; neposreden odgovor, a direct answer; a rudely blunt person is odrezav
  • nepredvidljiv
    unpredictable
    the negated predvidljiv, predictable, the adverb; about a person and the weather alike: nepredvidljivo vreme
  • ubogati
    obey
    with the object form, no preposition: ubogaj mamo; disobedient is neubogljiv; listening with the ears is poslušati, quite another verb
  • hvaliti se
    brag
    hvaliti, to praise, with se; it takes z and the instrumental: hvali se z novim avtom; a boaster is bahač, and bahati se means the same
  • opravljati
    badmouth
    a full homonym: opravljati delo means to do work, while opravljati soseda means to run the neighbour down; only the object decides — a thing or a person; gossip is opravljanje or govorice
  • pretvarjati se
    feign
    with da: pretvarjal se je, da spi; a one-off is pretvariti se; to play the fool is delati se neumnega, through delati se
  • zadržati se
    hold back (refrain)
    Ž is "zh" as in "vision": zah-duhr-ZHAHT-ee-seh
  • pošaliti se
    pull a prank
    Š is "sh" as in "ship": poh-SHAH-lee-tee-seh
  • zlagati se
    make things up (lie)
    the perfective of lagati, to lie: zlagal se je; careful: without se and with a different stress zlagati means to stack
  • prisluškovati
    eavesdrop
    Š is "sh" as in "ship": prees-loosh-koh-VAH-tee
  • vsiljevati se
    impose oneself
    from sila, force: to push in by force; Nočem se vsiljevati, I do not want to impose; the adjective vsiljiv means pushy
  • držati besedo
    keep your word
    No vowel between d and r: duhrzh-AH-tee-BEH-seh-doh
  • zaslužiti
    deserve (earn)
    Ž is "zh" as in "vision": zahs-LOO-zhee-tee
  • očitati
    reproach
    Č is "ch" as in "church": oh-CHEE-tah-tee
  • dati pohvalo
    commend
    the verb pohvaliti, to praise, you have; the turn dati pohvalo means to issue a commendation — at school it comes with a paper; the praise itself is pohvala
  • obsoditi
    convict
    obsoditi means "to condemn"; obsojati describes condemning someone. In court: obsodili so ga na dve leti, "They sentenced him to two years". In conversation: ne obsojaj ga prehitro, "Do not be too quick to judge him". obsodba means "a verdict".
  • pustiti na cedilu
    leave in the lurch
    C is "ts" as in "cats": poos-TEE-tee-nah-tseh-DEE-loo
  • nalašč
    deliberately (to annoy)
    Š is "sh" as in "ship", č is "ch" as in "church": nah-LAHSHCH
  • iz neumnosti
    out of foolishness
    from neumen, silly, and neumnost, silliness; the "of what" form after iz; people also say iz nevednosti, out of ignorance
  • v najboljši veri
    with the best intentions
    Š is "sh" as in "ship": v-nigh-BOHLY-shee-VEH-ree
  • to ni lepo
    that is not nice
    the commonest remark in a Slovenian family: to ni lepo od tebe, that is not nice of you; literally it is not pretty — about a deed a Slovenian speaks with the words of a thing
  • ni mislil hudega
    he meant no harm
    literally he did not think of the bad: hudo the bad, the harsh; under negation the object goes to the "of what" form, hence hudega, not hudo; a woman: ni mislila hudega
  • zaupanje
    trust
    from zaupati, to trust, with the "to whom" form: zaupam ti; izgubiti zaupanje, to lose trust; the power of attorney is pooblastilo
  • zavist
    envy (feeling)
    feminine on a consonant: brez zavisti; the verb is zavidati with the "to whom" form: zavidam ti; the envious one is zavisten
  • usmiljenje
    pity (mercy)
    pity and mercy at once; iz usmiljenja, out of pity; Smili se mi means I feel for him, and in speech it is heard more than the noun
  • vpliv
    influence
    from vplivati, to influence, with the preposition na: vpliva name; pod vplivom means under the influence and under the influence of alcohol: vožnja pod vplivom
  • ugled
    esteem
    a good name, weight among people: uživa velik ugled; the adjective ugleden means respected; a boss as an authority is avtoriteta, but people more often say ugled
  • vzajemno
    mutually
    from vzajemen, mutual; to a hvala people answer enako or velja tudi obratno; vzajemno sounds bookish: vzajemna pomoč, mutual aid
  • kot enak z enakim
    as equals
    Literally "like an equal with an equal". After z, "with", enak becomes enakim. enakovredno means "on equal terms": about how people treat each other, not their size.
  • ujeti se
    get along
    literally to catch each other: takoj sva se ujela; about two it is almost always dual: sva se ujela, sta se ujela; without se the verb means to catch
  • držati se ob strani
    stay out of it
    Start with d, then the short "uh" at the start of "about", and tap r just behind your upper teeth. ž sounds like the s in "measure": duhrzh-AH-tee-seh-ohb-STRAH-nee.
  • mož
    husband
    ž is the "zh" of "measure": mozh
  • žena
    wife
    ž is the "zh" of "measure"
  • ljudje
    people
    The plural of človek is irregular, and it has no dual: for two people you say dva človeka.
  • moževa mati
    husband's mother
    there is no single word: tašča covers both mothers, so the husband side is described, literally the mother of the husband
  • tašča
    mother-in-law
    one word for the wife mother and the husband mother alike; only the clarifier ženina or moževa tells them apart
  • tast
    father-in-law
    the father on either side of the marriage; "of what" is tasta, plural tastje
  • zet
    son-in-law
    "of what" form zeta, plural zetje with an inserted j — the same pattern as tast, tastje
  • snaha
    daughter-in-law
    one word for the son wife and the brother wife; in the "to whom" form it is snahi, the h stays as it is
  • nečak
    nephew
    two nephews take the dual, nečaka; three and up are nečaki
  • nečakinja
    niece
    the -inja suffix builds the female partner, like vnuk — vnukinja; the stress stays on -ča-
  • vnukinja
    granddaughter
    vnuk means "grandson"; the female partner is vnukinja, not vnuka — vnuka is the dual, two grandsons
  • dvojčka
    twins
    two twins stand in the dual — dvojčka sta; the plural dvojčki would mean three or more
  • sorodstvo
    kin
    the collective, neuter; the individual is sorodnik
  • starejši brat
    older brother
    the comparative of star does this job on its own — there is no separate adjective for elder
  • mlajša sestra
    younger sister
    the comparative of mlada with a j in the stem: mlajša, never mladša
  • edinec
    only child
    one word for the whole phrase; a girl is edinka; the fleeting e drops: edinca
  • sestrična
    female cousin
    the partner of bratranec: there is no common word for both sexes, each has its own root
  • mačeha
    stepmother
    the same word names the pansy flower — mačehe
  • očim
    stepfather
    from oče with a č swap; instrumental z očimom
  • sirota
    orphan
    feminine in form, yet said of boys too: on je sirota
  • vdova
    widow
    the widower is vdovec with a fleeting e: vdovca; the opening vd- is said as wd-
  • soprog
    spouse (male)
    more official than the everyday mož; in documents zakonec covers both sexes
  • soproga
    spouse (female)
    close on the ear to soseda, a neighbour; at home people say žena

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The CSV contains spelling, reading guides, translations and links to word pages. Use the browser menu to save the printable sheet as a PDF.

How it sounds in a sentence

A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.

What is worth knowing about these words

prijatelj — friend. A close friend — the word is saved for the real thing, not for casual acquaintances.

družina — family. Here, the word refers to a family. In the example, «Vsa družina» means the whole family.

mama — mom. What you call her to her face is mama. The official word, documents included, is mati.

oče — dad. In the family you will hear ata or oči more often.

Test yourself

First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.

  1. What is this word?

  2. What is this word?

  3. What is this word?

  4. What is this word?

  5. What is this word?

Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.

  1. How do you say “friend” in Slovenian?

  2. How do you say “neighbor” in Slovenian?

  3. How do you say “stranger” in Slovenian?

  4. How do you say “tall” in Slovenian?

  5. How do you say “good-looking” in Slovenian?

How to learn the set instead of just reading it

Mum, friend, child, neighbour. The first thing people ask you about, and the first thing you tell about yourself.

A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.

Frequently asked

How do you say “friend” in Slovenian?

«prijatelj». A close friend — the word is saved for the real thing, not for casual acquaintances. It is one of 195 words in the set “people and family” — the rest are in the table above.

How many family words do you need to start?

The whole set on this page is 195 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.

Is there audio?

Yes, 195 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.

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